Crippled
by Kisara Strife
Summary: The WRO have apprehended the man responsible for the majority of Gaia's atrocities...and yet one curios little girl can't quite understand why he has to be killed...he's just a crippled and defenceless old man. Oneshot.


**Author's Note;** Hi huns!! See, this is what happens when my Music and Religion teachers tell me I can study for their classes...hehehe; foolish teachers. Anyways; the short background to this fanfic is that it's set a couple of months after Dirge of Cerberus and the WRO trrops have just apprehended a wanted man...may be slightly AU due to the fact that the man is physically alive...

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He appeared so old and unthreatening, it actually seemed grossly unfair to keep him locked behind those cold, uncaring bars made of metal. A crippled and broken old man was the only image that met her youthful gaze…and she unashamedly felt pity for him, profuse pity.

It was just a little far-fetched to believe that this was the villain Cloud had spoken about only two evenings ago. He'd spoken with such hatred in his voice that it had scared her and she'd instinctively clung to Denzel's arm tightly as they had eavesdropped outside the bedroom of their parental-figures. Cloud had arrived back from Kalm, having been summoned their by the man she knew as Reeve…he'd then proceeded to beckon Tifa away from the watchful eyes of her and Denzel. It was then that she had silently followed the two, only to find Cloud had locked the door of the bedroom behind he and Tifa…but that hadn't stopped her from attempting to listen through the door…until Cloud's Mako-enhanced hearing had given her away.

It had been two whole days now since that evening and now they were all in the big base building Denzel had told her belonged to Reeve's people…Shelke had told her Reeve now commanded an army called the W…R…O…she'd heard of them a couple of months back when Shelke had first arrived at 7th Heaven, but hadn't paid any attention to the three letters back then.

Red XIII, Cloud, his friend called Zack…and the flower-girl, Aerith; how could this pathetic senial old man be to blame for the all the horrible atrocities that had happened to these individuals? For he seemed barely able to sustain his own breathing rate as he now slept, let alone be the complete tyrant that he was alleged to still be. That man with the red cloak, Cloud and Tifa's friend…Vincent…he'd taken out his gun yesterday and she had heard him say how he wanted to kill the old man right there and then, only for Tifa to whisper at him, resulting in the gun being put out of sight once more as the adult's attention was momentarily drawn unto the children present in the room.

When the grown-ups had moved to a different room to continue their talking, she'd ventured to ask Shelke what would happen to the old man when Reeve's men had finished asking him questions…the answer had been an unexpected one. Shelke only looked about Denzel's age, and yet she was a world away from their child-innocent selves…and her monotone attitude when delivering her answer had further served to prove that irrevocable fact.

"An execution has been decided upon- it will happen tomorrow morning, by means of a firing squad."

As she continued to look through the metal bars of his confinement, the little girl knew she shouldn't be down here…and yet found it impossible to tear her soft hazel eyes away from the ragged, pitiful old man…Tifa had smiled in her motherly way as she'd tucked her into the bed earlier, but it was a strange room in a strange place that she didn't know, and these factors had culminated in the small child deciding to investigate why this aged person was to be killed.

They were going home tomorrow evening, and Cloud had promised to stop at the Chocobo farm for a little bit, most likely to take their minds off of the fate of the frail old man in the holding cell. She also suspected that Cloud and Tifa were going to tell them some news, as things had been different for a long while now- he only ran a couple of long deliveries every few weeks now, and Cloud always came out of Tifa's room these days. Tifa's clothes had changed recently and the small child had picked up on the change right away…she'd told her Papa of how she thought Tifa's tummy looked a bit bigger but all Barret had done was wink at his daughter in a fashion that suggested he knew something she didn't.

A movement suddenly attracted her ever-curious hazel eyes back to the form of the fragile elderly man held captive in the WRO's holding cell. He'd finally woken in all her time down here, looking at him…but then he looked straight at the young child staring through his prison bars, at him. _Those eyes_…

Marlene Wallace ran and she ran as hard as her small legs would allow…the girl ran until the troop's sleeping quarters she was currently occupying came into view and she entered, immediately jumping into the bed and burying her head under the soft duvet Tifa had tucked around her so lovingly earlier in the night.

_Zack_

_Cloud_

_Red XIII_

_And Aerith_…

Now she knew why Reeve had ordered that Gaia be rid of this defenceless old man…for in her young mind she could still, and always would, see those beady brown eyes staring back at her from behind the scratched spectacles; gone was the frail elderly soul she had so unashamedly taken pity upon…all that was left were those eyes…brimming with malicious intent and behind the aged and crippled façade, shining like some defilement of a beacon, was the evil glint that remained glaring at her even now…just a pure, sickening evil that terrified the girl to her core. And the name…_Hojo_.

**A/n- Please let me know what you thought huns!! Oooh, and anyone doing summer exams; Good Luck!! XxxxxX**


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